Children's guidance philosophy can be defined as the goal of early childhood educators to create an environment in which children are provided the assistance they require to grow and develop well. Additionally, children philosophy of guiding can be defined as actions and processes developed by children educators and development professionals to assist in developing children to be better adults in society.
My children's guidance concept is that the child should be guided in the right way by allowing them to make decisions when appropriate but guiding them through.Also, it is necessary to give those acceptable choices and allowing them to choose. Further, encourage the child instead of praising them. This would help them develop a sense of self-worth and positive self-esteem as well (Blair and Cybele 309). Logical consequences should also be applied whenever necessary to correct undesired behavior. It is the responsibility of early childhood educators to create a good philosophy to guide children by using positive techniques that would provide understanding as well as positive learning over punishment. In this essay, I would show the children philosophy of guidance that I have created and the theories that inspired this process.
These philosophies would help give the child the six life skills that they need to be good adults in the society. These are;
1. Attachment through proper teaching
2. Belonging by helping they develop a sense of self-esteem.
3. Self-regulation. When they are allowed to make some choices and to guide them through, they will have self-regulation.
4. Contribution. A child will contribute a lot to the society and development of others if they are shown that they are cared for and supported also.
5. Collaboration. This is also acquired through self-esteem.
6. Adaptability. Helping them understand the environment plays a role in their adaptability skills.
How development impacts behavior
Development is the changes in the child’s physical, mental and emotional growth. It helps shape the behavior, social and communication ability of the child that is needed for their future survival (Dearden, 12). The early experiences when the child is about five years have a lot of impact in his future life. This is why the guidance philosophy is important. The child would pick the right direction as far as all these issues described above are concerned.
Theories that inspired this process of creating children philosophy of guidance
The theories that were important and that inspired this process are the Vygotsky theory and Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development.
Vygotsky claimed that environment and teacher are significant in cognitive development in children. Both the environment and the early child educator influences the way the child think and how they will behavior in future (Wittmer, Sandra and Margaret, 21). Children can learn the skills that they need to help them manage their behavior and that is why the environment plays a big role here. What they see and interact with comes from the environment, and the educators are there to help them interpret the environment (Kail, 15). The information found in Vygotsky theory was helpful in creating the personal children philosophy. They inspired the process as they provided the framework and thinking boundaries.
Also, another theory that inspired me was Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development. In his work, Erikson stated that a healthy child development should pass through eight stages for them to move from infancy to adulthood with better behavior. At these stages, the child confronts different challenges and develops a way of coping up or surviving the challenges. All these development stages are directed by the educator and the environment to which the child interacts with (Wittmer, Sandra and Margaret, 21). It is, therefore, necessary for the child to find a good guidance throughout these stages of life. This theory connects well with my philosophy of guidance as both focuses on the right tools and environment to give the children the right path to a better behavior during their development stages.
What teachers should do to support positive social and emotional development
Teachers can use various strategies to support the development of children. This requires giving the children the necessary attention, being patient and understanding them as well as cooperating with them. They are the implementers of these philosophies and thus should help the children interpret various issues from the environment. That way, they would support the children development.
Importance of adults modeling appropriate behavior to children
Modeling a positive behavior in children is a responsibility of all the adults who are caring for these young ones. It will help the child to feel safe and cared for when they are adults, and this creates trustworthy behavior (Mash and David, 17). Modeling a positive behavior also makes the child have a vigorous and positive sense of self-worth ad well as self-esteem. It helps them later in life in making choices and decisions.
Parents and families can be provided by good information about the behavior of their children and given guidelines to help them grow as recommended by the educators.
4 Positive guidance strategies to utilize in the classroom
Strategies to use in classroom to help children develop and grow are;
I would apply a proper and positive verbal guidance.
Secondly, facilitate problem-solving skills with children to make them know the process involved.
The third one is to redirect them and offer acceptance so that they don’t feel excluded or ignored.
The fourth strategy is to set an age limit of every stage so as to deal with them according to their ages.
Work Cited
Blair, Clancy, and C. Cybele Raver. "Child development in the context of adversity: experiential canalization of brain and behavior." American Psychologist 67.4 (2012): 309.
Dearden, Robert Frederick. The Philosophy of Primary Education (RLE Edu K): An Introduction. Routledge, 2012.
Kail, Robert V. Children and their development. Pearson education,, 2012.
Mash, Eric, and David Wolfe. Abnormal child psychology. Cengage Learning, 2012.
Wittmer, Donna S., Sandra H. Petersen, and Margaret B. Puckett. The young child: Development from prebirth through age eight. Pearson Higher Ed, 2012.
